The Permanent Commission for Unicamp Entrance Exams (Comvest) applied, in an unprecedented way, this Sunday, December 2nd, the University's first Indigenous Entrance Examination. The Unicamp 2019 Indigenous Entrance Exam was held in five cities in the country: Campinas (SP), Dourados (MS), Manaus (AM), Recife (PE) and São Gabriel da Cachoeira (AM).
The test was in Portuguese and consisted of 50 multiple choice questions and an essay. The exam started at different times, depending on the time zone of each city. In Manaus and São Gabriel da Cachoeira, the race started at 11 am; in Recife, at 12 pm and in Campinas and Dourados, at 13 pm. The test lasted five hours and, according to Comvest, went smoothly at the five application sites.
Abstention by city has already been published on the Comvest. Access the link and see the test that was administered to the candidates.
Sao Gabriel da Cachoeira
In the city with the largest number of applicants for the Indigenous Entrance Exam, there was a lot of movement. Many students came from far away and took days to arrive. Jaqueline Lopes, from the Baniwa ethnic group, traveled for two days in a canoe, along the Rio Negro, until arriving in São Gabriel. She lives in the Assunção community and arrived in the city last Friday. For Jaqueline, the arrival of Unicamp to administer the test made the students' lives much easier. “I wouldn’t be able to leave the region to take the test elsewhere, as just getting from my community to São Gabriel takes two days,” she said.
Jaqueline took the test to apply for a place on the Nursing course and was accompanied by her cousin Rayana Lopes, 19 years old, who is also applying for a place in Nursing. Both, who have never left the city and don't even know the state capital, Manaus, say that the region is in great need of health professionals. “I chose this course because I think it’s important to help other people and we really need doctors and nurses here,” said Rayana.
The test brought the reality of indigenous students to the questions and writing proposals. In one of them, candidates were invited to write about a report that addressed the loss of indigenous culture and the use of technology by indigenous people. Many questions also brought high school content closer to the candidates' reality.
Comvest's executive coordinator, José Alves de Freitas, highlighted the long and careful process for preparing this test.
“The test was designed from the beginning considering that Unicamp selects for undergraduate courses and considers the educational reality of this audience. We know the disparity that exists in the Brazilian educational system, the inequalities of opportunities among the millions of Brazilians who attend public education. At the same time, Unicamp was always clear that it wanted a test that spoke directly to the reality of these indigenous students”, explained José Alves.
He highlighted the importance of this unprecedented experience at Unicamp in selecting and welcoming indigenous students. “The Brazilian and international political scenario is not simple and faced with this scenario, a university must seek answers that are not trivial. The Indigenous Entrance Exam represents this. Do not give trivial answers to complex problems that Brazilian society experiences. Therefore, welcoming and having these students here is expanding the dialogue between the public university and committed to the development of Brazilian society, such as Unicamp”, he highlighted.
At the end of the exam, candidates praised the test. Joelma Solano Manoel, from the Baré ethnic group, said that the test was not difficult. “I didn’t encounter much difficulty because the questions talked more about the indigenous people, about how we live. The questions were basically based on what we experienced, they gave us an understanding of what goes on in our daily lives”, said Joelma.
“I am very proud of the candidates who took this test, the professors who were involved, the Comvest team and the support of the dean of undergraduate studies and the dean of Unicamp in relation to this moment we are experiencing today”, concluded José Alves.
Logistics
In São Gabriel da Cachoeira, the test was coordinated by professor Kleber Pirota, logistics coordinator at Comvest. according to him, the presence of the candidates was very good. “The application of the entrance exam here was a success. Despite the difficulty many have in getting there. We learned that several of them made a journey of many days on the Rio Negro to arrive. We haven’t released the numbers yet, but it has already been possible to see abstention that is well within expectations,” he commented.
He highlighted the collaboration of the local application team for the success of the test in São Gabriel. “Our employees here were excellent. Now, we hope to return safely, with the tests and all the material, to Unicamp,” he said.
Classification
To avoid being disqualified, candidates must get the minimum, 10 multiple choice questions and obtain at least five points in the Writing test (out of a total of 25 points). The result will be published on the Comvest page on January 29th. O Notice with the rules can be consulted on the Comvest website, as well as the full calendar the process.
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